Deviation from Social Norms

• All societies have their standards/social norms of behaviour and attitudes. Deviating from them can be seen as abnormal
• Limitation: Social norms are subjective and vary across cultures and subcultures. What is normal and excepted in one culture may seem strange to another
• One limitation is that it can be used to justify the removal of "unwanted" people from a society
• Limitation: Social norms change over time e.g what was considered normal in the past (going to school on a donkey) may not seem normal today